1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an improved detachable protector for steel bodies, and more particularly to a device for protecting the exterior finish of a vehicle from damage caused by neighboring vehicles in parking lots, garages, or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to the large and ever-growing number of motor vehicles, it has become a common parking lot practice to park vehicles as close as possible. Consequently, when a vehicle is being entered or exited, the door of one vehicle often comes in contact with the side of an adjacent vehicle. This door contact often results in a marring or chipping of the exterior finish of the vehicle hit, causing a diminution in the eye-pleasing appearance thereof and also a reduction in the resale value thereof. This chipping and marring of the exterior surface of the vehicle is aggravated by the fact that many vehicles are presently being manufactured without any protecting devices longitudinally attached along the exterior sides, such as strips of chrome.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,887, which was issued on May 2, 1972 to Russell C. Marquette, the inventor of the present invention, addressed this problem with a detachable side protector comprising a base having slidably received on the upper surface thereof and magnetically held thereto two extension strips projecting horizontally therefrom in opposite directions, where the protector is magnetically held on the exterior surface of a steel body to prevent damage thereto during the opening of doors on neighboring vehicles. In the commercial application of the protector described therein, it became apparent that the protector must adhere firmly to a car door or other object to be protected with tenacity so that it can be removed only with significant effort. This problem is addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,478, issued Oct. 13, 1981, also to Russell C. Marquette. This patent describes an improved detachable protector for steel objects such as automobile doors, appliance doors, file cabinets, or any object which is subject to being struck by anything which would dent or deface the object, the protector being an elongated body composed of magnetic plastic material which adheres by magnetic attraction to ferrous metal, the body being defined in cross-section by a flat part having an upper surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface being adapted to adhere to the steel object to be protected and the cross-section being further defined by an arcuate portion which extends from the upper surface of the flat part, the width of the arcuate portion being less than the flat part to leave portion of the flat part extending along each side of the arcuate part, and a thin elongated flat metal member positioned within the arcuate part and in engagement with the upper surface of the flat part to enhance the magnetic action of the body and, in the preferred arrangement, having a layer of adhesive on the lower surface of the flat part to help prevent the device from slipping after it is magnetically attached to the body to be protected. Despite this improvement, increased magnetic forces are desirable to better hold the device in place. Both U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,887 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,478 are incorporated herein by reference.
Based on the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a protector that can be attached to the side of a vehicle during parking and removed therefrom when the car is being driven.
It is further desirable for such a protector not to mar the surface of the vehicle and to be magnetically held to the exterior thereof.
It is further desirable for such a protector to provide sufficient magnetic force to allow the user to leave the protector in place while the car is driven, if desired.